Trip in Aradippou

Yesterday and today

Texts: Thekla and Kyriacos Telemachou

Research of Population of Immigration: Mathaios Alambritis

Assiduity: Mathaios Alambritis

Aradippou must be rooted in this land from the copper era. Kition with its harbour was next to it. The Cyprus ground was full of copper and our land full of lordly horses. Where would the local herdsmen find a better place to build their shacks, the foreign copper merchants their home, who teared the seas in order to come and scuttle in the blue eyes of amazons, who feed their horses in the wide plain, in the crossroad of commercial streets? If we do not have proof for those old years, we have graves and vessels unearthed from the archaelogists, that testify the presence of the Achaians in the island. They founded colonies and commercial stations on the watersides of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. At some point they left. And left behind their mark infallible, the graves and their elaborate vessels and their big preoccupation, the Greek language.

The Big Courtyard

Spring, second day of March 1328. Franks are the masters in the island. The king Ouyos, that overwinters in his love Aradhippoy, calls in his palace the Big Courtyard, three trusted sovereigns. He titles them “royal delegates”, with a document that is drawn up in the Big Courtyard, and to them assigns a confidential mission.The other day the delegates take the boat and put prow for France, they will ask in marriage Maria of Bourbons. Lucky the oldest son of Ouyos, Youedos. The document for matchmaking with three other that are rescued, has been drawn up in Aradhippoy and it confirms the existence of royal palace and the relations of the Big Courtyard with France.The archaeologists place the Big Courtyard in the space where today is built the A Municipal School. The opinion of the archaeologists is also supported by testimonies of old men who saw the foundations of the palace being covered in 1961, when the embankments for the creation of school ground was taken place there.

Another historical testimony reports that the Mamluks destroyed Aradhippoy in 1425, set on fire Santa Katerina and ruined the palace, the "Head of Despotism". The Courtyard of Riyajnas or Despotissas, as differently they said the Queen, belonged to Maryarita Louzinian, granddaughter of king Amalrihos who was king of Tyroy. Her brothers were Leontas, the king of Armenia and Petros the 2nd Loyzinan, who became king of Cyprus.

Today the A' Elementary school in Aradippou is built in the place of the royal palace. The school is found in the taller point of fluctuation of ground with altitude around 50 metres from the level of sea. The territory is chalky and the annual rainfall is around 340 millimeters, compared to 489 millimeters that is the average for Cyprus.

In front of the school passes the avenue of Archebishop Makarios, which is the central and and busier road artery of Aradippou. The noise pollution and the exhaust reign there, where previously the kings sought quietness and clean breeze.

The school building is of neoclassic type. It was built in 1925 and functioned in the beginning as school for boys (males only). Today is a mixed school with 330 students and 15 schoolteachers. A modern wing with rooms for teaching was added in the southern side of courtyard. The old royal courtyard was embanked and created grounds of sports.

“Κι ήρθανε χρόνοι δίσεκτοι και μέρες οργισμένες και πλάκωσαν οι Αγαρηνοί και σφάξαν και ατιμάσαν”, which means, Then there were difficult years when the Ayarins came, slaughtered and disgraced. Fear and terror the karamans, robbing and killing but do not dare to live in our land and they leave because the "tayrin" (bullock) of Apostle Loucas turns them away. The English (people) that rented us gathered their things and left with blood and fight of beardless children who raised their rifles. Alone now we took our chances in our worthy hands and made our city and this is Aradhippoy.

Population - Immigration - Repatriation

With a first glance in the table of population of residents of Aradippou is obvious the continuous increase of population. This appears also from the continuous increase of students.

There was an abrupt increase of population between 1973-1976. The paradox that is observed during year 1976 (where the population of Aradippou doubled up) is owed to the invasion, when there was a mass arrival of refugees in the community. This is why it should not be taken into consideration as fluctuation of population of the community, as it was only a provisional situation (later the refugees naturalized themselves in the municipal limits of Larnaka even though they reside in the Aradippou land). This appears in the elements of 1982, where the population comes back once again in its regular levels with the proportional increase from 1973. We can say that the population that stayed in Aradippou was as much as the population that emigrated until 1964.

After the nomination of Cypriot Democracy the immigration fell in very low levels. The individuals that emigrated, even up to today, did it for the marriage. That is to say, the emigrant Aradhippou citizen wants to restore his children wedding them with individuals from his/her homeland and that’s why we have an increased number of marriages between Aradippou citizens and Aradippou emigrants. The new couples either settle down in Aradhippoy or go to abroad in order to improve their finances and then return back. That’s why a serious surge of foreigner exchange is observed that benefits the community and generally all Cyprus from our emigrants.

Aradippou immigrants, moved mainly to England and Australia and if anybody visits today these countries will find the Aradhippou emigrants organised in associations, unions and communities, which remind of Cyprus and Aradippou. More specifically in Birmingham of England, where the number of Aradippou emigrants reaches the 50000, everybody contributed and they bought their own building, named "Greek-Cypriot Hearth" and they have appointed certain days of the week to meet there.Generally, the emigrant Aradippou citizen maintains live memories from his/her homeland, transmits them to his/her children and works hard aiming at his return, a fact that is observed in the last few years.

Rizoelia, Rizoilia or Rizoviylia

The humble forest in the north-western fringes of Aradippou, became known in all Cyprus giving itsname in the big transport road of Rizoelia.

And while all want to believe that the name of region has relation to the "roots" (Riza) and the "olive" (elia) and considering sure that the " Rizoelia" comes out from the older "Rizoilia'", the truth is different.

The initial name of region was "Rizoviylia" (from which a part of the word sounds a bit like a body part). When however a conscientious and devout estate agent found it in his maps, decided to censor the name and "make it sound better". See that strict ancestor ignored that the verb viylizo means I observe, I oversee, and that the Rizoviylia were the open spaces from which our grandfathers viylizan or observed the seashore to see if there were any boats with Saracen pirates, who were the terror of Cypriots in the years of the Arabic raids.

The region is constituted by low calcareous hillocks from which you can see the gulf of Larnaka from Dhekelia to Kiti and farther. The old forest was woodcutted from our grandfathers and few years ago were thr Rizoviylia afforested. The pines and the acacias of the forest anticipated to grow before the intercity streets begin to irrigate with exhaust and before the industrial region near by is extended in distance of breathing.